4 Years Ago...

This morning when I looked at FaceBook, I had one of those memory post pop up. Usually they are something with the kids and I remember how young they were, I show my wife and its over. This one hit me though. Hit me as in, has it really been 4 years?

 

It doesn't seem like it was 4 years ago! It was just so weird you know? And what is really weird is that my training plan for a sprint started this week, so who knows?? Maybe a 2nd IM in the next year or so????

I Can and I Will...

Last night I had my first athletic activity since tearing my meniscus in late May, and I was a little nervous in doing so. As I have mentioned, I signed up to play on a rec league basketball team at our church and made it 3 games before hurting my knee (cause I am not 25 any more). I tried to follow the doctors orders and let it rest and heal and all like a good patient. I went for my follow up appointment and the doctor said it was healing nicely, but it looked like I had some arthritis in my knee. I told him I was glad it was better because I still have a plan to do one more Ironman before I call it quits.  The look on his face said a million things. It mainly said "FAT CHANCE"

He told me that running may not be the thing I want to focus on, but I could swim and bike as much as I wanted. Obviously not what I was looking to hear. I was hoping for a "sure, start running again but ease into it and you're good!". So after spending a week in NYC and walking a million steps a day, I figured it was time to try it out with some running.

The game went really well. I did not do a lot of cutting and changing directions, or jumping either, but I did do some light running up and down the court and had no pain while running. I really thought the biggest test would come later that night or the next day, but it feels like it used to, which is cool.

Since this planned season has been nothing like I had thought it would be, it is once again time to re-assess my plan and start again. So Monday, I am starting back on a training plan for a sprint triathlon on August 27 in Sardis, Mississippi. A 1/2 mile swim, an 18 mile bike and a 4 mile run (half road, half trail). My previous PR is 1:58:10 and it was 6 years ago. So I am not naïve enough to think I can PR (although its possible), that is not my goal. My goal is simply to race and make it to the starting line. It has been so frustrating this season starting and stopping over and over again.

I have approximately 9 weeks to prepare for this race, which should be doable, to be a finisher. It will be a tough journey, dealing with the heat and summer activities, but I am an IRONMAN!!!!  And I can get this done. I am excited once again...

At Least That's the Plan...

This post always seems to me like a New Years Resolution type of post. You know the post where you plan out all the great things you are going to accomplish, but we all know you never do. Sometimes we set those goals way to far out in front of us to where we literally have no chance of reaching them. I know you know what I mean. So just to make it clear, this is my 2016 race schedule! the list of races I am planning or wanting to do.

This is something I normally do around the first of the year. I have really had to plan more this year because we are so busy as a family this summer. I know the summer is going to go by in a blur, but it is all good stuff we are doing and it really should be an awesome summer. So  my "race schedule" had to be worked around our family summer schedule. It's only 4 races. I have taken a realistic look at my schedule and what I know I can do for training. So here is my 2016 race schedule (most likely)





May 21- Memphis in May Sprint Triathlon

• 1/3 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run
• Last year I finished in 1:25:52
• Goal is 1:24

July 9- Paris Landing Sprint Triathlon

• 1/3 mile swim, 14 mile bike, 3 mile run
• First time doing this race
• Tri team favorite race

August 27- Dragonfly Sprint Triathlon

• 1/2 mile swim, 18 mile bike, 4 mile run
• I hate this race
• Not done it since 2010 (2008- 2:00:48, 2010- 1:58:10)
• Goal time: 1:55

October 2- Ryanman 70.3 Triathlon

• 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 run
• First time racing this event
• 75% Sure I will do it
• benefits children's cancer research

I think this is a good mix and enough time between races that I can complete. The Ryanman race is something I want to do, but not sure if it will work out, the October date helps a lot, but I will know for sure if I really want to do it later in the season. The  training plans have already been scoped out and at this moment in time, I am feeling pretty good, so let's see what happens. First goal is Memphis in May!

Follow me on Instagram at Jford2309 for updates as well!

Memphis in May Sprint Tri Race Report

It has been a while since I had raced a sprint race, actually it had been 3 years since I have done this distance so I was really looking forward to this race. Another reason I was looking forward to this race was because it would be the first time I got the chance to race alongside my bride, and a third reason I was looking forward to this race was that a lot of my friends were doing this race as their first triathlon! So it was a big day for all!

To bad the weather decided to make this day a lot harder than it needed to be. It rained ya'll!  Hard. The day before and even into race morning, it was a mess. The expo tent was ankle deep water and honestly, it would have been very easy to say "forget it". I have raced in the rain before and I hated it! Thank God for radar apps on the iPhone! We were checking it  often waiting for the rain to move out, which it finally did. We were then able to get our transition areas setup and get in the water for a swim. I was mulling over the decision of whether or not to wear a wetsuit because they said the water was 75 degrees at race time and I leaned more to the short swim vs. time to take off wetsuit and decided to go without the wetsuit, which  in hindsight was the right decision for me. It started raining once again once we started to line up for the race and I was shivering, I couldn't wait to get into the water. So, with no further delay, let's get into the race itself:

Swim: 13:57

Finally a race picture I like!

The swim was a basic triangle shaped swim that was said to measure 580 yards. We all started on a time trial start going off every 3 seconds. The line moved pretty fast and before I knew it I was jumping between people that were walking and wading into the swim. I felt very little bumping heading towards the first buoy and was doing OK. It was a little tough to sight due to the weather conditions and I brought the wrong goggles. I meant to bring my clear lenses but for some reason, they did not make the trip. As I got to the first green buoy, there was a lot of bumping. It was awesome! We all made it around the buoy and started heading for the next green buoy. There was about 8-10 of us I am guessing that were all in a group. Out of nowhere, I see a canoe near me and someone yelling, so I stop to see what's up and they are yelling that we are suppose to go around the orange buoy before hitting the next green one! So I make a 90 degree turn and head back to the buoy!  I know!  What was I thinking? I should have just kept swimming. This really cost me some time and added an additional 100 yards or so to my swim. I was very upset at myself for messing up the swim. I just did what I could and I knew my time was going to suck. As I was running up the ramp, a friend of mine yelled that my wife was about 10 seconds ahead of me! My reply was "you kidding me?" and he assured me she was already in transition. Now, my wife is a strong swimmer, but I had a good minute or two on her and while she might beat me in a pool swim, I am more at ease in open water, so yeah, I was surprised. It was only later that I found out my swim time and it was no where close to the 10-11 minute time I was expecting. Swim pace: 2:23/100

 

T1: 1:06

Knowing that I was already behind my expectations, I think I had one of my fastest transitions ever. I was slamming things down and getting out of there. I really wanted to beat my wife out of T1, which I did because she opted to wear the wetsuit.

Bike: 39:34

After the crappy swim, I decided I needed to crush the bike, so I went out harder than normal. I knew it might affect my run, but I did not care. I was able to pass a ton of people and felt fast! I stayed in aero a lot. The roads were wet with some flowing water going all the way across the roads, wasn't an issue but it made me nervous. My max speed got up to 27 mph and I tried to hang on to top speed as long as I could. I averaged 18.2, which I was happy with. I felt good on the bike, I felt fast.

T2: 1:30

My feet were so wet from all the water on the road that I had trouble slipping my feet out of my shoes as I was riding in, so I just kicked out of my pedals and ran it in my bike shoes to rack my bike. I had my shoes tied up in bag incase it rained some more and I had trouble getting my shoes out. I made a bonehead decision to go without socks on the run. My thinking was that my feet were already so wet that shoes probably would give me an issue for the 3 mile run. Yes, this will come into play shortly.

Run: 29:42

Yeah, I can't believe I was under 30 minutes either. This run was tough because (1. I was undertrained and (2. I made the bonehead call to run without socks. My watch never picked up after T2 and that messed with my head also. The 1st turnaround seemed really close and I thought that was a good thing, but since I did not know the run course well, I did not know about a 2nd turnaround point. After the 2nd turnaround point, it was much hillier and my feet were blistering up pretty good, so yeah I was hating life. I think the one thing that turned my attitude around was that I was talking to someone along the course, telling them about my bad swim and how I went harder on the bike, they simply said, "those are over, run this race". True words indeed. I knew I needed to suck it up and finish strong, so I quit worrying about the other legs and hit the levy and ran it home.

Finish time: 1:25:52

All in all, it was not a bad overall time, it was only a few minutes off my sprint PR time. Yes, I wish I had a better swim, and yes I wish I had worn socks on the run, and yes, I wish it had been dryer, but that's the way it goes sometimes. That is what is great about triathlon, you never get what you expect and then sometimes it works out better. I expected to do better, but I was right on the mark of where I wanted to finish. I also found joy in doing sprint races. It doesn't have to be long races anymore for me to feel like a triathlete.

Another win for me was racing with my wife. She always has a big smile on her face when she hits that finish line and truly looks like she is having a great time. Sometimes I wish I had that joy of finishing rather than the disgust of missing a buoy!

And Congrats to my friends who did their first triathlon!  Jay, Jason, Philip and Dwight!  Proud of you guys and I hope you enjoyed the sport as much as I do, and I must warn you, my journey started with a sprint race...just say'n.

I am going Old School...

Do you remember your first triathlon? Do you remember the first time into the water, the first bump, the first transition and so on? I do. I remember almost every little detail about my first real triathlon. (I say real triathlon because I do not count my indoor tri in the same manner as I do outdoor ones.)

I remember it because it was simply horrifying!

This was my 1st triathlon and I honestly thought I was either going to quit because the swim was killing me or that I was going to get pulled by the lifeguards before the first 200 yards! The water was so cold it literally took my breathe away. I knew there was no way I was going to finish that swim and I was not even sure if I wanted too! I swam a speedy 2:16 pace. I remember feeling dizzy coming out of the water and wondering how I was going to ride my mtn bike with slicks when everything was spinning! I remember taking 10 minutes in transitions! And I remember my first Olympic time of 3:44:03.That triathlon was none other than the Memphis in May Triathlon at Orgill Park on May 18, 2008. You can read my race report here if you'd like.

Now you may be asking yourself, why is he talking about this again? Because the Memphis in May Triathlon is going back to Orgill Park! The last few tears, the race has been held at Tunica, in an ideal venue. I set my PR in this new venue (2:47:58), and I loved this venue. So let be clear on this next statement. I DO NOT LOVE ORGILL PARK.

I have nothing but bad memories of that place. So when I got the email saying that MIM Tri was going back to Orgill, I was alittle excited and a little freaked out. (MIM lost the venue in Tunica when the host hotel closed, so the race was in question of even happening) I mean I am thrilled that the MIM tri is happening, but I am not looking forward to Orgill, because of the above paragraphs. So will 5 years of triathlons make a difference?

You bet it will. After a few minutes of thinking about this race, I am attacking it. I am going back to Orgill to make it mine. While I am only doing the sprint this year, I am going to after it like it stole my girl scout cookies! (Tag-alongs please) I have my training plan set, my race fee paid and the best part is I know a bunch of first timers that are going to be there,  which always ups my game!  (Vanity at its best right?)

So with this race going back old school, I thought I'd leave you with some old school music. Enjoy and your welcome!

If ‘If’s and ‘Buts’ Were Candy and Nuts, We’d All be Triathletes!

I am sure you will soon realize by the proper grammar skills and correct spelling of all the words that I did not write this post. Today's post is from my bride, who is competing in her 1st triathlon on Saturday. Here are her thoughts as she prepares to race this Saturday at the Memphis in May Sprint Triathlon.


So I am finally putting to rest all of those “ifs” and “buts” that prevented me from taking the plunge into triathlons, as in, “if I had more time” or “but I’m not sure I could actually do it.” Now, I’m ready to attempt my first “real” triathlon, Memphis in May sprint, this Saturday. So how the heck did I end up here?

I can only assume( as I usually do) that this is actually all my husband’s fault. Watching him over the years competing in triathlons of all distances – sprint, Olympic, 70.3, and even an Ironman - it was probably inevitable that I would finally bite the proverbial bullet.

Around the time he got serious about triathlons again, we welcomed our third son. So there was no hurry for me to train for my own races. I was more than content to be the cheerleader, child wrangler, and masseuse. I especially enjoyed the venue at Memphis in May because there is a great pool right along the race course. Our 3 boys and I would watch the swim, cheer James on at transition, get in the pool while he was on the bike course, get out and cheer him on at the finish. It’s pretty spectator/kid-friendly.

Maybe I entertained the idea of being out there on the course myself. It did seem like such a rush to cross that finish line. I wondered if I had what it took to do one, but I wasn’t really a runner and the only biking I did was trudging around on my mountain bike with my youngest on front.

Run

But, about 4 years ago, I started running. I've never enjoyed running in any way except for the sprinting we did in 6^th grade for the Presidential fitness awards. That I could do. However, Memphis has an amazing running program for women every summer at Shelby Farms, one of my favorite places in Memphis. Hundreds of women participate and it’s broken down into nice categories based on experience. I started with a group of hopeful beginners and surprised myself by enjoying the freedom to head out on Monday nights starting in July and run with other women. I was hooked. I could actually run. I’ve been back every year since and keep moving up a level.

Bike

Then I asked for and received a road bike for Christmas. Before that, my biking had pretty much be limited to riding my youngest son on the front of my mountain bike and tootling around. Once I got my new road bike out on the Greenline and rode it, well, I felt a huge sense of freedom. 

Swim

And then, there is the swim. I’ve always been a decent swimmer. I was raised by a mother who body-surfed in the ocean when she was eight months pregnant with me. To teach us to swim, she let go of us in the water as toddlers. It was sink or swim, literally. My only concern is that I'm the type of swimmer who doesn't even like to share a lane. Swimming in the open water where it's inevitable to get bumped is going to freak me out a bit. 

I’m Guessing Stopping to Comb my Hair in Transition Would be Frowned on?

So the disciplines were coming together. Then came Valentine’s Day. My darling husband gave me a training plan as a gift. (Crazy, huh?)  And, I was actually excited about it. (Even crazier!) Being able to see in each little square what training I should do each day made me feel like I could give it a go.

The past few months of training have been interesting. I’ve learned that it’s true that we make time for what’s important to us. I’ve always been impressed by James’ ability to balance training and having an engaged family life. Since that often meant getting up at 5 in the morning while training for his 140.6, I could hardly complain about fitting in a 2-mile run.

That’s not to say I didn’t have to be creative. I do still have a 5-year-old at home. So on Mondays, a swim day, I would take Jesse to the Rec. Center with me. He'd go to the childcare while I did an hour of weight-training. Then, I’d swim my laps. After that I’d go get Jesse and we would splash around and swim for a bit. It was a three hour process, but I will never forget having that time with my son.

Other days, I’d wait until my older boys got home from school and then go do my run while they could watch Jesse. If I took Jesse with me on my runs, he’d ride his bike. Once it took us an hour and a half to do 2 miles! We did stop to play on the playground and throw rocks in the creek. Sometimes you have to adapt.

I’ve learned that training can be fun. It’s made me order my days differently trying to fit a specific workout in. For example, I happen to teach a college class at a community college right near our city’s greenline, a 7 mile paved trail. This semester, after I gave my final exam, I  celebrated by changing into my bike kit and hitting the greenline for a refreshing 11 mile ride. (Usually, I reward myself with something like a Gigi’s cupcake and running home to watch a DVRed Sherlock Holmes  before I have to pick my youngest  up from Mother’s Day Out.) Guess which one I now prefer.

I’ve also learned that training makes me feel like a badass, especially wearing my team’s kit. It may sound a little odd to already be part of a racing team when I haven’t proven myself. But, the team I am on is about much more than races. It’s about people, specifically being an encouragement to people with cancer. If you follow this blog, you’ve surely seen James post about Jessica Hambrick who with her husband, James, founded the team GI Jess’s Warriors for a Cause. Even though Jessica entered eternity a month ago, her spirit and her vision and her compassion will live on through this team. She was such an encouragement to so many triathletes and Christians and cancer fighters.

A few weeks ago, the team met at Jessica’s parents’ house to make a plan to go forward. It was there that I bought my Warriors tri top.  Putting it on for the first time made me feel like a triathlete. And wearing it to train as I see people watching me run or bike makes me feel so inspired to represent this team well. I feel like I belong.

And I vow to remember that when the doubt and worry creeps in. The “Can I do this?” “What was I thinking?”  “Can people tell I’m a newbie?” voices will be drowned out by the “Warrior Up” yell I know Jessica would give me. I will! 

My Bride Compares Ironman To...

You will know right away that I have a very special guest post simply by reading this post and realizing that the writing is soo much better than normal! I have the privilege of having my bride share her thoughts about Redman and her husband becoming an Ironman, so without further adieu, here are her thoughts:

I had an amazing time being one-half of James Ford’s support team for his first Ironman distance triathlon. The other half was our oldest son Jacob who graciously celebrated turning 14 by opening a few presents in our hotel room the morning after the race.

To finally be present at the race day, something James had dreamed of and planned for and trained for was surreal. On race day, observing the moon over Lake Hefner highlighting the kayakers in the pre-dawn light, to finally hearing the blast to start the race, then to seeing that same moon rise during the final hours of James’ run, to hearing his name called as he crossed the finish line, it was an adventurous and memorable weekend for all of us.

Some highlights for me were catching a photo of James getting a fist-bump from Jacob as he went down the ramp and hanging out with just Jacob while we killed time during the bike portion of the race.

 

Once we got back to the race site, we were thrilled to see Stella racked. I have never been so happy to see that bike. (I have a love/mostly hate relationship with that bike which will be explored in another post).Yes! That meant James was already on the run and it was around 4 p.m. Wow, things were going well.

Jacob and I started along the run path seeking him out.

One of the things I thought about while we were waiting was that I didn’t really have any idea what doing this type of physical challenge was like. I mean, I have a few indoor triathlons under my belt, but I haven’t ever done a “real” one. But then I thought that there was something I had endured that could be comparable – natural childbirth. Thus the following list began to form in my mind:

 

Top 10 Ways an Ironman is Like Natural Childbirth

 

1)      Both will hurt – we’re talking pain of Biblical proportions. Now, if you have a high tolerance for pain, these might not be as bad for you. However, either is going to cause agony. There’s just no way around it.

2)      No matter what kind of preparation you do, and no matter how many horror stories “veterans” of either have told you, nothing can really prepare you for it. You just don’t know until you are in the trenches how your body is going to handle it. That’s part of the motivation for doing it in the first place, really. Can I handle it? It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time.

3)      When you tell people your plans, someone will inevitably ask, “Why are you doing that?” Let’s face it; you are going to encounter some people who just do not get it. Whether it’s because they are not fans of physical pain or just don’t see the point in pushing yourself in this manner, you are going to get some incredulous looks when you tell someone: “Yes, I am going to swim 2.4 miles, then bike 112 miles, and then finish it all off with a marathon . . . on the same day.” (Okay, wait, that does sound crazy when you say it out loud.) Or: “Yes, I am going to push a 6 pound baby out of my body with no medication . . . on purpose.” Expect eye-rolling. I loved hearing James explain his plans to the uninitiated.

4)      At some point during the event, you yourself will ask, “Why am I doing this?” Somewhere along the way, you too, may question your sanity.

5)      At some point during the event, you’ll also say, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” I remember well hitting the proverbial “wall” during childbirth. I was done; the only problem was there is no DNF in childbirth. One way or the other, the baby is going to be born. So, thanks to the encouragement of my loving husband whose fingers I was crushing into deformity with every contraction, I pushed my way through it, literally. Encountering James on the run, I was afraid he was going to run smack into “the wall” and just be done. I felt like that was where Jacob and I came in. We were there to cheer and encourage and not let him give up. And, accordingly to him, it did help to see us there. Although he says he never really hit “the wall,” there were times on the run that were dark and lonely and just tough.

 

6)      You really have no idea how long it’s going to take. Note to spouses: for your own safety do not in any way express your desire for your triathlete or child bearer to speed up the process. Not helpful.

7)      Forever after, you can use this the rest of your life as in: “Of course, I can handle getting an Ironman tattoo, I am an Ironman.” Or, “of course I can take 3 kids to an amusement park, I survived natural childbirth.”

8)      Both have three stages and seem to get increasingly more difficult as the day goes on. I was very glad to see that James seemed to really enjoy a lot of moments along this journey. He came under his time goals in both the swim and the bike, and was able to take in the thrill of being in an Ironman distance triathlon as it was happening. Then came the run, and it got a lot less fun. Likewise, there are several stages of labor and not all are bad. But, with each of mine, there came a time where I couldn’t chat or read a book or just hang out with family anymore. There was serious work to be done, as in – “I’m trying to bring another human being into the world, people! Will you all just shut up!”

9)      Both will earn you the respect of others, especially your spouse. I could not be more proud of my husband for dreaming big – his first Ironman distance triathlon at the age of 42 – and then putting in the long hours and hard work to achieve that dream. I don’t really know how to explain the phenomenon of being so happy for someone else upon achieving something he really, really wanted, but I know that it is sweetest when it happens for the love of your life. Watching James’ darkened figure come in to view down the finish shoot and being able to tell by his stride that it was indeed James and he was indeed finishing this monumental race is a moment I will treasure. It seemed so appropriate that he crossed to Philip Philips’ song “Home.” “You know you’re not alone” – I didn’t feel alone all day; knowing that many people out there cared for him and were praying for him and rooting him on really sustained us.  In the same way, I know my husband is enormously proud of our kids and of me for bringing them into the world. And, I know I would not have wanted to go through that experience without him by my side.

10)  In both cases, you will walk funny for a few days afterward. Not to get too graphic, but both are pretty traumatic experiences for the human body to endure. You will not come away from either unscathed.

One final note: there are definitely differences. Some I was glad of: a) I was not high-fived by a random dude when it was over; b) no one was ringing a cowbell; and c) I was never in labor as long as James’ race took. You’d have to add up all three of mine to surpass 15 hours. Whew!

 

 

Redman Pictures

Here is my race post pictures. Some are fromt he race, some are from my wife. Monday morning my wife will have her "wife's race report" posted, so please come back to read that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here We Go!

It's time.

I start my Redman 140.6 training this weekend. 17 weeks.  September 21 will be here before you know it, but will I be ready?

Dunno!

I mean I am going to train hard. This is something I want, but there are more factors involved than just my physical fitness. One thing I really did not think of until recently was that Sept in OKC can still be really hot! After reading all the reports from IM TX and how people were dropping like flies from the heat, it got me wondering. I mean TX in May is as hot as Aug and Sept, but OKC can get warm too. I know I will have plenty of chances to get in workouts in the heat, but I have to figure out if that is the smartest way to do it.

I also did a second look over my training plan. I used the custom plans over on BT.com. I based my workouts on the following criteria. Swimming a 1:55/100 pace, biking 16 MPH average and running a 10:00 pace. I have no idea if that will actually be true on race day...

I also based the plan on doing 3 bikes a week (a short, medium and long) 3 runs (short, medium and long) and 2 swims (med and long) per week, or basically doing something everyday. the plan does have some scheduled rest days worked in.

Overall, the weekday workouts look totally doable. The weekend workouts are going to hurt. Only because of the long rides, the runs are manageable as the longest run on the schedule is 15 miles! Where else but IM training would one say, "it's only 15 miles!"??

All my workouts will have a design behind them, it is simply not just go run 5 miles or swim 1800 yards. There are lots of drills.

It is going to be an interesting next few months. I know I cannot hit all the workouts due to travel and life (I have a family, job and other things going on) but if I did, I would be looking at these numbers between June and September.

Swim: 60 miles
Bike: 1780 miles
Run: 312 miles

Yeah, it is doable, but I'd be lying to you all if I said I was not a little nervous about taking on this distance. I am sure I will blog about my doubts, but never mistake it with me backing out. This blog is just my way of expressing myself (something I am not that great at in words, but I know I am typing words, but I mean that I that great at talking those words...see what I mean?)

I thought about titling this post "It Just Got Real", but triathlon has always been real for me. Instead, my journey to IM has been a long one and I have come a long ways. It keeps getting better, and I can't wait to cross that line!

MIM Olympic Race Report 2013

This is one of my favorite races of the year, and also one of the first tris of the year, so it is always a good gauge of where my fitness stands. So, I was looking forward to having a great race this year.

The Day Before:

We got to the hotel on Saturday afternoon, and tried to check in but they had zero rooms ready, which was frustrating, but we made the most of it. This gave us plenty of time to hit the expo and get checked in and checked my bike into transition. By the time we finished all that, we had a room with a nice view of the pool. Since I had not been in open water all year, I really wanted to get the wetsuit on and jump in the lake (I also was curious about water temps). My wife and kids went down to the pool and I went to jump in the lake. I always like to swim both the start and exit of a swim, so I know exactly what to expect. The word about the race area was that the water was at 74 degrees that morning and would most likely be a wetsuit legal race, but after being in the water, I was not really sure if I would wear it or not. I wasn't sure if the time gain vs the time it took me to get out of would be better. I was not the only one that was considering not wearing it according to other racers I talked too. After my swim I went and joined the wife and kids at the pool until we decided to go eat and then hang in the room until bedtime.

I slept horribly that night, waking at 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, 4:00 and 4:58, right before my alarm was to go off. Not sure why though.

Pre Race:
I got up at 5 and went into the bathroom to wake myself up and not wake up the whole family. I ate a bagel and drank some water before gathering what I needed to take down to transition. This year I waited to get my kit on and went down to transition and body marking in shorts and t-shirt. This is one of the benefits of staying at the host hotel I guess! Transition did not take me that long to get everything set up, as I had only gone over it about 3 times that morning alone. So back to the hotel to get on my grab. I had decided to go with the wetsuit, I mean it would give me some speed, and I hardly get to wear it anymore, so why not. Back in the water and then found some friends, chatted it up and then before you know it, it's time to swim!

Swim:
27:56
1:41/100 yd Average
I dove into the water like a pro, only to have my goggles slip and I got some water in the left side. I thought about trying to tough it out and swim with it, but I had only gone like 10 ft, so I decided to stand up and fix it. Good choice! The swim went really well. There was limited bumping but I could tell there were a lot of new swimmers ahead of me because anytime I touched someone, they  would stop and look around. I felt like I passed a lot of people also. (My AG was the 3rd to last group in the water) I tried to stay consistent while swimming and not overdo it. As I was exiting the water heading for T1, I looked at my watch and knew I had PR'd the swim. I had high hopes for the remainder of the race.

Always nice to have a ton of bikes still in T1, especially after starting near the end of the swim line!

T1
2:45
Stupid wetsuit! I had a hard time getting it off my ankles, which was the one concern I had about wearing it. I also had issues getting my HR monitor on, so T1 was slower than I wanted, but I did not forget anything and that is the important thing right?

The Bike:
1:17:25
19.15 MPH Average

The bike course at MIM is extremely flat. I mean pancake flat, which is normally a good thing, but with it being so flat, there are always winds involved. usually you can count on a headwind for the 1st 13-15 miles, then it turns into a tailwind on the way back. This year was no different. The winds going out were very strong but I was able to stay in aero most of the time. I did get one massive calf cramp around mile 10 that almost made me stop, but after that I was fine. It was almost like I knew it was going to happen, so my body decided to get it over with all at once. It did not really seem very hot on the bike, but I still had two gels (one at beginning and one at mile 20) and drank my entire aero bottle and then refilled it at the bottle swap. So I felt good about my nutrition, and I felt fast when I was flying by people, another benefit of starting at the back of the line.

T2:
1:25
Not a lot to say here. Everything went about as well as I could expect. Not sure if I would have done anything differently expect maybe run faster to my spot!

Running out of T2! See the hands of my wife and kids trying to give me a high five? Well, I did not and I ran right past them!  Sorry everybody, but I was on a zone!

Run
1:03:17
10:12 mile pace

This run is the worst. It is one of the more mentally tough runs I do every year. I always think I have it figured out, but I have yet to actually have a good run on it. Somewhere between T2 and the run course, the temperature always shoots up about 400 degrees! This year the freshly paved black asphalt did not help things as far as the heat goes, but there is zero shade anywhere. The first mile seemed long, but I was doing better than I thought I would, but somewhere between 2 and 3 it started slowing down. It got to the point where I was counting the traffic cones to try and keep my head occupied instead of thinking about the heat and the struggles I had. I did get an extra bit of motivation from the guy I caught cutting the course (I blogged it here). The funny thing about this course is that the last stretch always catches me by surprise! It's like Oh we are here!! I told the one guy running next to me that I was running it out, I might puke, but I was running it out! I knew my PR was gone at this point, but I wanted to finish strong.

Finish :
2:53:19
330/872 OA

Me and my Boys, Jake, Jared and Jesse, and yes, jake is rockin a RUN DMC shirt!

Some highlights:

• I finally got to use my Timex Global Trainer in a race. It worked beautifully, even the GPS worked on my swim. Only issue was a user issue and I did not get it into multisport mode before I left out. My fault.
• I was happy with my bike, especially for logging so many trainer hours instead of road hours.
• PR'd my swim. I know it was wetsuit, but 1:41/100 is awesome for me. Top 20 AG in swim
• My Zoggs goggles really gave me no problems at all, no fogging either. Just wish I had put them on better at the beginning.
• My 2XU wetsuit still fit me like a superhero!
• My Brooks Glycerins were awesome all race.
• Was great to hear plenty of people cheering for the Warriors Team!
• Stella, my Specialized Transition Elite bike, was great. I had zero issues. I always work about a flat tire after IM Branson!
• This sounds like a NASCAR post race interview.
• Loved hearing my wife and kids cheering as I ran down the final chute, my middle son even ran along side me, and thanks for all the pictures Babe!

My cheesy Olympic medal biting shot!!!

Now I can turn my sights towards Redman and start preparing for that race. This race is going to be tough and quite the challenge!

We Are That Guy/Girl...

This is a re/re/repost that I like to post prior to the start of every year. I think it is worth reading every now and again! It is always good for me to read before the season officially starts, which is soon for a lot of us. This is not something I wrote, but I came across it somewhere and I like it, so please, take the time to read it.

THAT GUY

That Guy. You know him. He can also be That Girl, and often is.

It is that guy (or girl) who you see at every race. He's at every one. Everywhere in the country.

He is always more tan than you are. He is usually a good bit thinner too. His calves have those mysterious vertical striations that define each individual muscle; as if to say, "I have spent hours training each individual muscle in each calf- each individual muscle fiber in fact."

He/she has triathlon clothing that is super cool that you've never seen before. You have no idea where it came from. If you were to ask him- if you mustered up the courage to approach him- you would get some vague answer like, "Ahh, well, I know Dave McGillicutty at Sweetass Trisports and he got these samples, prototypes really, that he….. blah, blah, blah…." And you just wanted to know where you could buy a pair of those cool trishorts he has. Maybe they would make your ass look like Michalangelo chiseled it too. Prolly not though.

So this guy (or girl): His bike is clean. It is also weird. It has parts you think you may have seen in a magazine and, is that what carbon fiber looks like? Half the stuff he has, no, all of it, is stuff you've either only seen in magazines or never even heard of.

He's wearing sunglasses. But he didn't buy them. They just kind of "got there". He drives a special car just for doing what he's doing now: Getting ready for a ride, a run, a swim workout or the triathlon you're at now. He has stickers all over it.

You know when he talks about "Hawaii" he isn't talking about the state as a vacation destination, but rather, an event that you've only seen on TV. He is either talking about getting into it, having already gotten in, or why his last race there wasn't as good as it should have been. It had something to do with some chemical in his body you've never heard of. "Too much polychondrotineospandoplasm in my maldochondriacts during the last ten miles of the run. I should have know better." Yeah, an obvious mistake for someone like that guy (girl). Another thing that guy knows that you don't. Polywhat in his maldowho?

So you get to the race and there is that guy. Setting up all his stuff in the transition area like he's done probably a thousand times before, or so it seems.

And that guy is the reason why so many people are afraid to give this sport (and many others) a try. Because you know you are not That Guy (or girl) and they will look at you and think "Oh, another novice athlete…." And maybe you are embarrassed by that. I know I have been.

That guy is experienced, dedicated, accomplished, fit, knowledgeable, well versed and respected in the sport. You are a beginner. So you are at the bottom of the food chain here. You may be the big woman or man at work and at home. But here you feel like the first day of kindergarten and you don't even know where the bathroom is but you have to go. It's been a long time since you felt like that.

And you'll feel embarrassed in front of that guy.

Consider this though: You are that guy. You are that girl. Don't understand? Let me explain.

On the hypothetical morning we're describing you got up early, loaded up whatever bike you have (the old mountain bike you've had since you were 16, that old ten speed from college, whatever), put the gear you scrapped together in your car and went to the race. You stood there in your sweats and registered, set up your transition area as best you could.

Welcome to the show my friend. You are walking the walk.

You made that monumental leap off the couch and into the realm of That Guy. And now you, to millions and millions and millions of people- you are That Guy.

The next time you go to work when the conversation comes up about what you did Sunday morning you will say, "Oh, ahh, well I did this little triathlon, my first one, I'm not really any good, I was nearly last…."

But to the people at work, and your family, and your friends, and everyone else not there on Sunday morning (and some that were…) you are That Guy. The guy who does those endurance races. Who works out all the time (even if you don't). Who eats right (even though you don't).

Pretty soon it will get around work, what you did Sunday morning, and someone will ask you, "Hey, ahh, have you ever done that one in Hawaii?"

And then you answer, "Oh, Hawaii, no, I'm not that good. I've never done Hawaii…" And to you now it is just "Hawaii". You are That Guy. To someone out there you are That Guy.

Everyone has That Guy. He's better, faster, smarter, luckier. The interesting thing about That Guy is, to someone- you are that guy. No matter who you are, there will be That Guy. Don't let him bother you. Do what you do. Remember, to someone, you are that guy.

I Do Not Have A Catchy Title.

I have been feeling pretty lazy lately.

My grandfather passed away early last week and the family made a whirlwind trip to go to the funeral on Thursday and Friday. We drove over 700 miles in 2 days, and that time in the car does not include the hour we spent at a McDonalds in Atkins Arkansas trying to get the mini van swagger wagon started! So we spent about 12+ hours in the car.

My last good solid workout was Thursday before we left. I did a 1000 yd swim in 18 and change then I followed that up with a 4 miles run in under 35 minutes. (Then I sent a trash talking video text to Brad D at Brad's Ironman Journey, because he has been sending me mean video texts, so I had to fire back!!) Then I sat in the car for hours and hours it seemed. Sitting in a car seat for an extended period of time always stiffens my joints up! So I have not been to fired up about doing any training.

Even today at my teams basketball game (I am coaching my son's 12-13 year old team), I was wearing my Ironman Branson 70.3 shirt for some motivation. One of the refs called me over and started asking me questions about doing IM races. Usually that fires me up, but for some reason, I was still unmotivated. And I am down 5 pounds since Christmas! What gives??

Well, I don't drink, but other than that...

I finally told my bride that I know what I need to motivate me.I need to sign up for my Olympic race. I spend the money, then I know I will train harder. That's the way it works isn't it? Is that true motivation? I am not sure that is the thing that would motivate me, the spending of money, but more of a deadline. So, maybe when I am officially entered into the race, it will light a fire under my butt. Or maybe the driving wore on me more than I thought. I do have a 5K trail race tomorrow I am going to run, so maybe that race will get my juices flowing again. I just know it is way to early for me to be thinking of missing workouts already!!!

NOW WAIT JUST A SECOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE:

I wrote this post on Saturday night, and Sunday after church, I did run the Winter Off Road Series 5K at Stanky Creek. A nice little trail run that I hit a new PR!!!!  25:51 on the trails! I am so stoked about that, an 8:20 pace through the woods!!!!  That placed me 15/42 in my Age Group and 95/499 Overall. For the overall series, I am in 14/58 place in my age group! Funny how things work out, but I am over that pity party and ready to train!!!!!

Post Election Thoughts, That Have Nothing To Do With The Election!

So, I have had some time to reflect since the election, my guy lost BTW, and the sun did come up the next day! So that was good. I had thought about doing a post election complaint post, but America has too many people whining and complaining, so I am going to be a good "Merican" and be a good husband, father, will work hard and prep for my 1st IM in 2013.So with that, here are some ramblings that have nothing to do with 4 more years of poor economic growth and the demise of America:

1. I am ready to start back with S/B and R! The marathon training has been going fairly well I think, but I do miss swimming and biking. I have not rode Stella since Sept and once a week swimming is not cutting it.
2. After my marathon, I am really thinking of getting into the weight room some, if my wrists will allow me too. I think December might be a good time to "lift things up and put them back down!" Maybe I even start that core regiment we all want to start.
3. I really wanted to grow my hair longer, but there is way too much grey coming in! Wonder of I am worried about something??? The grey really shows up when my hair is longer, so by the time this publishes, JFORD might be rockin a new doo!
4. I am very appreciative to everyone that donated money to St Jude's Hospital and supported me through the marathon, I have surpassed my goal and I humbly say Thank You!
5. One of my favorite TV Shows right now is Sons of Anarchy, love that show!
6. I am still waking up at 4:45 AM, which my body thinks is 5:45 thanks to Daylight Savings Time.
7. I have finally decided on my marathon goal time for 2012. Last year I finished in 6:08, and I am planning on blowing that out of the water.
8. Work is about to get crazy! Crazy whack funky! Retail+Black Friday = NUTS!!!!
9. Another favorite TV show is Duck Dynasty, although it is hard to believe all the stuff they get into is not setup. Doesn't matter, Si and Jase make me laugh.
10. I need to start looking forward to my 2013 race schedule. I think I want to participate in a relay this year, that'd be fun!